We need to keep working to get our national surrogates to explain the facts - that the federal response was anemic and had been shortchanged by budget cuts and avoiding responsibilities like protecting Louisiana levees and wetlands.
We are confident that this money is going to come through.
The eye on the prize is that we get the resources we need so folks have the confidence that they can come back, and there's a long-term commitment of the federal government to be the state's partner in protecting our cities and towns from hurricanes and restoring the coast.
The time table Secretary Card spoke of was, in fact, the time table General Blum had committed the night before to Governor Blanco to meet.
Our greatest fear is that we're going to have the money available but the implementation status delayed.
Our No. 1 goal is to get that money out as expeditiously as possible. The limiting factor will be the number of contractors available.
We want to make sure that folks know that our city and its culture are on the rebound. They'll see how much work there is to be done, but they'll also see that there's great potential for New Orleans' future.
This is not everybody's dream house. This is a modest equivalent.
This is a shot in the arm to the recovery that will make a big difference.
This helps our residents to get back on their feet and puts them in the position where they can begin rebuilding.
